A Different Kind of Hate
by SmileLikeLightning
Summary: "A stupid jerk!" Is what new exorcist, Rika Saioji thinks of the Black Order's Kanda Yu. However, Kanda spends a lot of time yelling at her, rather than ignoring her like normal. Hate isn't exactly the opposite of love, you know. KandaXOC
1. Chapter 1

As I crawl up the last rock to the Black Church, the wind whistles in my ears and my long silky black hair beats my already cut face. I clutch the tattered blanket tight to my chest, so tight in fact, my knuckles turn white. Despite the blistering winds, I'm hardly cold. My body is sweating and my face is hot because of all the climbing I did, trying to escape the akuma chasing me.

The altitude that I'm now running at makes me dizzy; that and my fatigue. My knees and stomach are buzzing with anxiety as I scurry towards the building. I've only been in a near death situation with akuma once before, and that was only one of them. I'm terrified right now.

I fall to my knees in front of the strange gate with a long grotesque face. I let my hands drop to my side and shout as loud as I can over the ominous wind, "Hey!" I drag out the word as long as I can, then I breathe heavily. As soon as I gain enough breath to shout again, I plead, "Someone, help me!"

"Please wait to be examined by the gatekeeper," a voice instructs.

I wait patiently and stare at the strange long face on it.

It moves and I jump in surprise. Lights pour out from its eyes and it sets on me. "X-Ray examination, determining whether subject is Akuma or Human."

I inhale slowly, my breath shaking. I don't want to cause it trouble by moving too much.

Suddenly, several akuma jump up from the edge of the mountain-like structure I climbed previously. They seem to search for something, and then one sets its eyes on me.

"There she is!" It screeches. "Ke, ke, ke, let's get her!" It laughs.

The akuma charge towards me, and I have no energy to get off my legs.

I cross my arms in front of my face and scream, "No!"

The gatekeeper looks up and shouts, "Akuma! Intruders, intruders!"

Now, out of context, his mouth is so huge it surprises me. Now, in context, I don't really care because I'm freaking scared to death right now.

The image of the monsters' teeth gnashing, claws protruding, bodies shaking in excitement to kill me… it burns in my eyes as I break into a cold sweat and tears as I block what I can, covering my face to prepare for the worst.

Instead of pain and blood, I hear the screech of an akuma. I look up quickly, rubbing away the tears in my eyes and the snot on my face.

A long teenage Japanese boy is standing in front of me, wielding a katana. I can see his face well enough that I can tell he's handsome, and also I can see the cold stare in his eyes. His hatred of Akuma is so crystal clear.

The two remaining akuma cower in fear and turn to run away. "R-retreat!" They scream.

"You're not getting away!" The boy shouts. He leaps after the akuma, but they've already flown off the side of the edge.

I panic, seeing the boy still in the air, leaping. "Wait!" I cry, outstretching my hand. The crystal mark in my back glows and large angel-like wings protrude from my skin, blowing sharp gusts of wind off my shoulders and lower back.

My clothes would have been torn to shreds, like I learned from experience previously, but I'm wearing a slim-fitting black shirt that exposes my shoulders and lower back. The strings pulling together the cloth in the back are blown off though.

I leap off into the air as the power runs up my arms as well, making gloves on my forearms. I grab the boy's collar and then I fly as well as I can for my first time, back to the colossal building. I put him down gently, and then the wings disappear, dropping me to the ground, less gently from a higher distance.

Black fuzzy dots cloud my vision, and instead of the hard impact of rock that I expect, I feel someone catch me.

My eyes flutter open, and I'm under the bright light of a hospital room. _"I shouldn't move,"_ I think sensibly, _"I might hurt myself, whatever injuries I may have."_ I turn my head carefully, in case any damage was done to my neck. _"Nope, I'm good."_

I'm all alone in this room.

It's pretty small and, for the most part, white. There's a white marble countertop atop white painted wood, holding all sorts of basic medical things. A curtain is hanging, concealing my sleeping area, and the bed's headrest is right against the wall, so my feet are facing outwards.

The door opens and someone walks in. A male voice asks me, "Miss, are you awake?"

I open my mouth and say clearly, "Yeah, sorry for causing you trouble."

The man chuckles and replies "Don't be sorry. You've gone through quite a bit, as well."

I smile wryly as he walks around so that I can see him.

He's got semi-long black hair that curls outwards just below cheeks. He's got rectangular glasses and he's wearing a white, French looking hat and a whole white outfit to match.

I watch as the man approaches me.

At a respectable distance away, he stops, clutching a clipboard to his chest.

I notice there's a white cross with a white rose on his uniform, making it noticeably different than anyone else's.

"Can I move without hurting myself?" I ask politely, truly curious if my injuries are bad.

He chuckles and nods his head. "Slowly though, you did get beat up pretty good."

I sit myself up, cringing at the slight stinging in my shoulders, back, and chest. I find a comfortable position to remain in, and I exhale. I stare straight at him. "You seem to want to tell me something. What is it?" I ask, noticing his bated breath.

He pulls up a chair and sits down on it, clasping his hands and resting his arms on his knees. "Yes well," he begins, "I'd like to know your name, first of all."

I tilt my head to the side and slowly slide my legs into a crossed position under my blanket. _"Is that all he wants to know?" _I plant my hands in the small space between my legs and answer, "My name is Saioji Rika." I furrow my eyebrows for a moment. "If I may ask, what is your name?" I inquire.

The man smiles and points to his face. "I'm Komui Li, the supervisor of this place." He sits up straight and continues to question me. "Well, Rika. Do you know what that mark on your back is?"

I crane my neck around to look at the cross shaped mass of crystals between my shoulder blades. "These?" I ask rhetorically, "I don't exactly know what they are, but the akuma chasing me called them, 'Innocence.'"

He nods and stands up. "Rika, if you can walk properly, I'd like to show you something."

I ease myself out of the bed and take a few steps around the room. I smile at him, showing Komui that I'm fine. I slip my feet into some black slippers and I put on a black jacket that Komui hands me.

All I'm wearing is my white, now ripped, jeans, the slippers… and that's practically it. I have white bandages wrapped around most of my upper torso and on my arms, so that's covered. I'm also wearing a black jacket, (I can't tell what it's made out of, something shiny and breathable I suppose) that has a silver cross on it.

I follow the supervisor (Komui) and observe a few of the people buzzing with work around me.

Things are mostly colored darkly and there are many cylindrical platforms where people are working, which I find particularly interesting.

A cute girl with black pigtails on the sides of her head looks at me. She smiles at me and waves slightly.

I'm surprised, but I return her smile and nod slightly. I head forwards, continuing to follow Komui.

"That girl, Lenalee," Komui explains, "Is my DAAAAARLING little sister!" I can see his eyes sparkling behind his glasses with love for this girl.

I laugh nervously as one drop of sweat beads down my forehead. _"Sister Complex…" _I think.

We enter a spacious room with a few shelves stacked with jars and medicines. I reach out to observe one of them when Komui finally speaks to me once again.

"Could you show me your innocence?"

I look at him curiously; obviously a little suspicious about why he wants to see it.

He smiles gently, "Don't worry. I just want to confirm what type of innocence you are. Also perhaps fix whatever damages may have been done to it."

"Oh, alright." I walk over and he placed a stool down in front of a table about one meter by two meters long, covered with sanitary paper.

I sit down on the stool, my back facing the table. Where the bottom of my wings would be is where my back touches the table, allowing me space to activate the innocence. I bite my lip in worry. I turn my head to look at Komui. "Um," I warn, "I think sharp wind bursts out of my back when I activate my innocence. Right before my wings come out."

He smiles and side-steps the table, looking me from a profile angle. He gestures his hands to tell me go ahead.

I take off the jacket, so as to not damage it. Then I close my eyes and breathe slowly. _"Innocence, activate!" _As I said, a blast of sharp wind blasts outwards from my back, making a five inch gash in the wall behind me.

Crimson red wings protrude from my back, feathering out and glistening like blood in the bright surgical light.

"Oooh, interesting," Komui announces, rubbing his chin. He walks around and touches the bone of the wing from my back and trails upwards. "Can you feel that?"

I giggle, feeling ticklish. "H-hey that kind of tickles!"

He smiles, finding my response amusing. "So you're a parasitic type."

I tilt my head, trying to look at him without moving my wings too much. "What's a parasitic type?"

The girl I saw earlier, Lenalee, walks in, having heard our conversation. "A parasitic type is a person whose innocence is mixed with their body," she explains.

I furrow my eyebrows, remembering vaguely my innocence. "Wait, it's only with the body right?"

Komui nods, "That's it."

I shake my head. "But I remember something… when I activated it previously it wasn't just wings." I feel a tingling sensation on my shoulder blades. Glowing red lines roll down my shoulder, making a diamond shape on my bicep then continuing in a line, all the way down until it completely covers my hands and forearms, making a glove like thing. I stare at my hands and extend my fingers. "Yes, this is what happened!"

I look up, excited to see what they'll say, but my eagerness is met with shock and concern. My smile fades as I ask, "Is there something wrong with my innocence?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with it, we just don't have a category for it," Komui explains, mumbling the last bit of his sentence. "This comes from a crystal on your back, correct?"

"Yes, at least I think so," I confirm. Twisting my head, I try and catch a glimpse of the crystal.

Komui rubs his chin for a bit then asks me a question, "Could you tell me when you first found you had this innocence?"

I think back, very far back, and remember the point where I received this "gift." I slump a bit, hiding my teary eyes and trying to ignore the pain in my throat. When I think I can speak, I tell my story. "It was on a winter day when I was eight, just after Christmas."


	2. Chapter 2

I walked up to my sister's room carrying a hot porcelain bowl on a matching tray. "Usagi," I called, "Are you awake?" When there was no response, I slowly opened the door to see my younger's sullen eyes peeking out of the white blanket.

She managed a very weak smile, something that couldn't really be defined as a smile really. She moved her lips, unable to speak. "Hi, onee-chan," she was mouthing.

I tried not to cry as I watched her struggle so much. "It's alright, Usagi. I made some of your favorite soup! The soup with that fish cake you like."

She nodded slowly and tried to sit up as well as she could.

I quickly put down the bowl next to her on the side table and helped her up myself. "Don't strain yourself, Usagi. I don't want you to pull another muscle."

She made a small sound, something like an old man's chuckle, except in a cute six-year-olds way.

I smiled at her, hoping my sadness wouldn't show through. I take the lid off of the soup, filling the air with the tantalizing scent of broth.

Her mood perked up already as I blew on the spoon and held it to her mouth. She opened wide, something that made me surprised and almost worried, but I poured the soup down her throat slowly.

She regained her voice after I gave her about a cup of soup. Though it was soft, I clearly heard her say, "Thank you, Onee-chan."

"Later that day, Usagi died of her sickness. We don't know what it was, or how she got it, but she died," I mumble, holding back tears.

The Millennium Earl approached me after I'd seen my sister die in her bed. His long creepy white face and pointed ears like a sun-deprived elf didn't make me feel any better. "Do you want your sister back?" He had asked me.

I looked up at him with disbelief, wondering if such a thing could be true.

He pulled out a skeleton with a red star on its forehead and said, "Just say her name and call back her soul."

So many thoughts ran through my head, and only one answer came out of my mouth.

"No."

He looked at me, obviously getting miffed. "No, did you say? You don't want your sister to live?"

I gripped my legs so hard and cried at the top of my lungs. "She doesn't need to come back! She's in heaven! She's probably having fun with all the angels up there and making many new friends! She was good at that!"

He grabbed my shoulders, and I felt his urge to pierce me right through. "What if she's in hell? Don't you want to save her from hell?"

I snapped. "Hell?" I whispered. My voice shook the room. "She would never ever, in eternity ever go to hell! You're the one who should go to hell if you're going to even think Usagi went to hell!"

He put me down and started laughing.

I watched in horror as her name etched itself onto the skeleton's forehead.

"O-nee-chan?" it said in her voice.

I covered my ears and screamed. "NO! That's not her! That's not her!"

It screamed in her voice. "Onee-chan you turned me into an akuma! I curse you, I curse you!"

I picked up the bowl of broth and threw it with all my strength at the "akuma." It crashed on its head and a shard scratched my cheek.

The now cold broth slid down my cheek and into my mouth as I was losing the strength to fight back. Tasting the broth made me remember everything we'd been through. I was not about to let my little sister become an, "akuma." And say horrible things like cursing people.

I swallowed.

Suddenly the clothes on my back were torn to shreds as two large slits appeared on my back, pouring blood. They quickly turned into wings and the crimson power worked its way up to my arms.

I grabbed the akuma's neck and pushed it to the floor. "You tricked me," I said menacingly. However when I looked up, my face was in childish tears. "You tricked me into saying her name!"

The akuma stopped trying to attack me and it looked up at me. "Onee-chan?'

I saw her. I saw the real Usagi floating out of the skeleton.

A tear was escaping her eye, "I'm sorry Onee-chan." She held the hand I was holding the neck down with. "Please destroy me."

A white blast was sent through my arm as I cried out. My voice was straining for anyone to hear my pain, my sadness, my hate for the one who brought my sister back.

As the skeleton called an akuma disintegrated, I looked up out of the corner of my eye at the goblin-like creature. "You, I swear one day I am going to kill you, you stupid goblin!"

I pounced, my wings giving me support.

He got away though; his umbrella shot open and carried him away.

I fell to my knees and clasped my gloved hands together. "Please, please, please, please, _please, _take my little sister to heaven. It's not her fault she became an akuma, it's mine. Please take her to heaven. Please…"

My wings receded and the feathers made of blood soaked back into my skin. One feather fell to the ground, liquefying and staining the floor with the only blood that was shed.

I put a hand to the right side of my face as tears trickle down my cheeks. "Sorry for crying. I hadn't remembered this in a long time, so it's a big shock."

Lenalee gives me an empathizing smile and hugs my shoulders awkwardly, since she's not close to me yet. "It's okay," she coos, "we've all had bad moments like that, but the things that don't kill us just make us stronger."

"Yes. And not to be insensitive, but you did say the akuma shouted, 'curse you,' correct?"

I nod as I wipe away the last of my tears and blow my nose in the tissue Lenalee hands me. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, that would mean you were cursed and you should have a mark."

I think about it and wonder what kind of mark I would have received. "Well, I didn't touch the akuma except for my…"

"Hand!" we all say at the same time.

I flip over my palms and deactivate my innocence. As the gloves pull away back into the crystal, I see a red star appear for about a second then it disappears. I gasp involuntarily and poke my hand to see if it'd come back.

"So it only appears when you deactivate your innocence, huh?" Komui ponders. Suddenly he looks very serious, but then it disappears. "Well, I'll need to take you to Hebraska."

I step off the stool and Lenalee puts a jacket on me. I tilt my head to the side and repeat, "Hebraska?"

Komui doesn't answer, and when he doesn't Lenalee does. "Hebraska is a person, per say, who is able to hold innocence and check everyone else's innocence. Every exorcist, that is a person who has the innocence and is able to use it, must be checked by Hebraska."

"Oh," is all I can say.

We rush past most of the rooms and things to get to a square-based upside-down prism which apparently is an elevator as well.

The elevator is taken down very far, to what I presume is the very bottom.

It's surprisingly dark, and lights appear, shining down on a few people sitting in tall thrones above my head.

Their voices echo on the walls and in my ears, "You possess the innocence of God, the power of all intellectual omnipotence. Yet again, I have gotten my hands on God."

"These people are our boss, the commander-in-chief," Komui mumbles, hands positioned behind his back. He turns to look at me, and his glasses glint as the light hits them. "Now, show your value to these people.

"Hm?" I ask, completely unaware of what I should be doing.

Long, glowing white branches appear out of the ground, grabbing me and pulling me off the railing.

The only thing I'm really thinking is, "Oh, shit! If I fall I swear I'm going to fly up here and kill Komui for this!" I'm relieved to not feel the sensation of falling, but my heart skips a beat when I turn and see the strange face, without any eyes, staring at me.

"Ino…ino... innocence…" Its voice mumbles.

I feel like freaking out, but my limbs are already too sore to move. "What the hell is this? This is Hebraska right? I feel like I should ask her…" In a quiet, quivering voice, I manage to ask her. "A-are you Hebraska."

It smiles and nods, "Yes, I am Hebraska. Don't worry, I won't drop you."

I breathe a sigh of relief and relax myself. "Alright then. You're going to check me right?"

Her branches poke into my back, not like something being jammed into my skin, but it feels a little awkward and disgusting, but I bite down and take it. Hebraska leans in closer and presses her lips to my forehead. "2%, 16%, 30, 41, 58, 78, 85, 90%!" Quickly, she pulls away and lifts her head. "It looks like 90% is your maximum synchronization with your weapon." She puts me down gently back onto the elevator and says in a voice normal as a ten kilometer tall glowing white creature with branch-like tentacle things can be, "Thank you for being cooperative. The last person I checked got very frightened and mad."

I look up at her and smile best I can, still feeling a little weird from her searching my body. "You're welcome?"

"Rika Saioji, your innocence is a very unstable kind. However, in your hands you just might be able to mold it into powerful things…"

I smile up genuinely now, pleased with her prediction. "Thank you, Hebraska-san."

Komui is clapping and smiling at me with a face that he hasn't shown me yet. He whistles, "Looks like we can count on you, Rika."

"Fight!" the commander-in-chief's voice echoes. "It is your duty as one who has been chosen by the innocence. It is a duty!"

"You already know about the Millennium Earl, so I'll make this explanation short; the innocence used to be all one piece, all together, but then Noah's great flood spread it throughout the world. The Earl is trying to destroy the innocence with things called, 'dark matter.' So if the innocence is the white, then the dark matter is the black. It's basically a race to obtain the innocence. So," he pauses, looking up at me while extending his hand, "let's fight together to save the world. You're not making any money though."

I laugh and wink at him. "Aw, no money?" I take his hand and shake it, "alright then!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lenalee takes me too my room, seeing as I'm nearly passing out and it's too late to give me a tour. I flop onto the bed, and Lenalee giggles a bit. "I'm going to drop off your uniform later today, so look forward to seeing it. They're designing it to work with your innocence, so you don't end up destroying the uniform each time you activate your powers."

I sit up, crossing my legs and giving her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Lenalee. Oh, before you leave, could you tell me if that tall teenage boy was the one who caught me? And if so, what's his name?"

"Him? His name is Kanda, and yeah, he was the one who caught you."

I ponder this thought for a moment then ask her. "Could you ask him to show me around tomorrow?"

She furrows her eyebrows and gives me a wry smile. "I'm not sure if he would like to do that. He's a bit snappish and cruel sometimes."

I smack my hands together and scrunch my eyes up, saying, "Pleeeeeeease!" through my teeth.

"Oh, alright I'll try!" Lenalee agrees, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you!" I cheer.

As she exits the room she questions me, "why do you want him to show you around anyway?"

I shrug as I lay down in the bed. "I want to thank him for catching me. He could have just let me fall, I was a suspicious person." I hear the door close as I throw my arm over my eyes. "I wonder what he'd act like towards me. I wonder if he'll actually come…" is my last thought before passing out. I wake up to a tapping noise on my door. I look out the window of my room and find that the sun is high in the sky. "Oh crap!" I exclaim, throwing off my covers. My foot gets caught in the blanket as I try and escape my bed, and I trip and fall against the door. "Ow…" I groan. I move my head around jocularly; looking for the uniform Lenalee said would be in my room. I spot it, crumpled up in the blankets I tossed.

Moving to pick up my uniform, I catch myself in the bathroom mirror and make a, "yikes" face when I see my hair. I figure I'll be taking a while, so I start to unravel my bandages and walk towards the bathroom at the same time. "Sorry! I might take a while so just come in and sit on the bed, okay?"

The door opens with a creek, and a voice that I didn't expect hit my ears.

"Che, hurry up, would you?"

I nearly smash my head into the bathroom sink as I charge in there and fumble with the door and my bandages to conceal my body. The last thing I see is a glimpse of Kanda's surprised face.

I let out a shriek inside my head as I grab my hair. "What the heck! I didn't expect him! Well I know I asked for him but still, I didn't think he'd do it!"

As fast as possible, I rinse myself off and brush my hair and teeth. As I rub the extra water out of my hair, I look around for my uniform. Panic surges throughout my body when I realize, "Oh God! My uniform is outside where Kanda is!" Covering my body with a small towel, I slowly open the door, trying to hide my body behind the door as well. I stutter, "H-hey… Kanda was it?"

His arms are crossed and his sitting on my bed. When he sees me, he stands up and grabs my wrist. "Are you done? It's already noon, let's go." He tugs on my wrist, pulling me out of the bathroom.

"Wait, Kanda!" I shout, a bit of a growl coming through my voice.

Obviously irritated, he whips his head around to glare at me. "What?"

.:Kanda's POV:.

This girl was seriously starting to get on my nerves.

Last night, Lenalee begged me to show the new girl around since apparently, Lenalee was "busy."

I couldn't say no because Komui threatened to lock away Mugen if I didn't listen to his _beloved _younger sister. I came around early in the morning to take her, but she was fast asleep. Periodically, I knocked on her door to see if she was there. Until now, which is about twelve o'clock, there was no response.

"What?" I snap, turning to face her.

She squeals and pulls back, dropping the small towel that she was covering her body with. She looks at me like a wet little puppy out in the rain, shivering and embarrassed.

I feel my face heat up as I look at her. I've never seen a girl's body before, and that expression on her face would have made Lavi bellow, "Strike!" louder than anyone could imagine.

I let go of her wrist and avert my gaze to the door. I push my hand on my mouth, unable to forget her face right then. I hear the rapid ruffling of clothing, then a loud thump. Involuntarily, I turn around to see if she's alright.

"Don't look!" She commands.

I stop and cross my arms as if I didn't have the slightest thought about turning. "Why would I turn around, idiot?"

After a while, I hear the bed creak and she announces in a much calmer tone, "Alright, I just need to tie up my hair and we can go."

I turn around and get a good look at her in her new uniform.

The skirt of the uniform is as short as Lenalee's, and she's wearing tall black combat boots that stop just below her knees. She's wearing long black socks that cover her knees under the boots, though.

She's taking an irritable amount of time, fiddling with her hair and hair band, so I get impatient and snatch the thing out of her hand.

"Just let me do it, dammit!" I run my fingers through her damp hair, checking for tangles. The cool brush of wet hair across my fingers feels very smooth, and her hair is already silky on its own.

In order to distract myself, I ask her, "What's your name?"

Not moving an inch, she faces forwards politely and replies, "Rika Saioji. What's your name? I know you're called Kanda, but that's it."

Feeling that I owe her a bit for that little, "episode," we had earlier; I decide to tell her my full name. "Kanda Yu." I tie off the high ponytail and stand up.

She feels the ponytail gently, so as to not ruin it, and she trails her delicate hands down the strands of hair I left out for style. She smiles genuinely at me. "Thank you, Kanda!"

I cross my arms and turn my head away, hoping to hide my emotions like usual. "All I did was tie your hair."

She stands up and smoothes out her skirt. "Not just that," she clarifies, "you caught me when I was falling before, Thank you for that, too."

.:My POV:.

I smile at him again, and his response is only, "Che." I open the door and hold it for him as we walk out of my room.

He walks in front of me, since he's the one showing the way, and I follow him.

I put my hands behind my back and lean forwards while keeping a good pace. "So, where are we going?"

"To the cafeteria," he responds, "since it's almost lunchtime, and I need to eat."

I watch his long black hair, (which is tied up in a high ponytail), like a cat, following its swishing pattern with my eyes. His back looks very muscular, but he, himself, has a small build.

He guides me through the hallways, and makes only one small comment, "You should know that these are just the individual rooms."

I nod simply as he takes me to the elevator, which I already know about.

He presses a few buttons, taking us down to the cafeteria.

There's a really long awkward silence that both of us just can't seem to break. Plus, the only thing that's filling the silence is the recent memories we just made… embarrassing memories.

As if on cue, our faces turn red at the same time. We glance at each other and quickly avert our eyes.

We reach the cafeteria floor, and Kanda walks off the elevator.

I can't help but keep looking at his back. "He looks pretty handsome," I think, my blush fading away as a smile crosses my face.

He turns around and looks at me. "Are you coming?"

I snap out of my daze and giggle, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion. I shake my head and follow him to the cafeteria.

"B set ready!" Someone shouts.

I walk up to the window and look inside.

A man with sunglasses wielding a frying pan is suddenly in my face and smiling. "Oh, hello, you must be Rika Saioji! I'm Jerry!"

I'm a little shocked at his attitude, but I dismiss it and laugh. "It's very nice to meet you, Jerry."

"What would you like to eat?" He asks, returning to his stove.

I think for a moment, and apparently, Kanda is ordering at the same time as I am.

"Soba."

"Somen, please."

We look at each other, surprised that we ordered at the same time, and something pretty similar.

He smiles to himself and looks down as I give a short laugh.

Jerry is grinning at me, crossing his arms when I turn back towards him.

I blush and cross my own arms. "What?" I growl, "I just met him."

He snickers and goes to making my noodles. "I've never seen Kanda act like that to a newcomer."

I blink as the thought swims around in my head. "Never?" When my noodles are ready, I take my lunch and sit next to Kanda.

He's sipping his tea and I start to eat my noodles after saying, "Itadakimasu!"

Kanda puts down the cup and lifts up some noodles before asking me, "Why do you keep following me?"

I'm surprised, but not offended by his question. I slurp up my noodles and swallow before answering him, "You're the only person I know besides Lenalee. So can't I sit with you?"

He points his chopsticks in a direction saying, "There's Lenalee, go sit with her."

I press my lips together and come up with a great idea. I wave my hand and shout out, "Lenalee! Sit over here with me!"

Her face brightens up and she skips over here with her lunch. "Hi, Rika! Did you see around enough yet?"

I laugh nervously. "I woke up too late so Kanda's showing me around after lunch."

She giggles and her eyes trail up to my hair. "Ah, your hair looks really nice!"

I touch the strands of now dry hair next to my face. "Thank you, Kanda put it up for me when he came to show me around."

She blinks. "Huh? Kanda came into your room?"

Simultaneously, our faces get red again at the memory.

A loud voice cuts through the awkward crying, "Strike!"

I look up to see a bright red-haired boy wearing a headband and an eye patch grinning at me.

He winks at me with his good eye and leans on the table. "Who's this cutie?"

I chuckle and introduce myself, "I'm Rika, nice to meet you."

The boy grabs my hand, his whole body lying across the table. "I'm Lavi, it's nice to meet you, Rika-chan!"

Lenalee and Kanda both hit him on the head, but Kanda does it much harder.

Almost instantly, Lavi lets go and throws a puppy-like gaze at Kanda. "Why'd you hit me?" He whimpers.

"You're ruining my meal." Kanda stands up quickly and grabs my wrist. "Come on, I still have to show you around, don't I?"

I struggle to get out of the bench as fast as Kanda's pulling me, but I end up getting yanked out anyway by his strength. My wrist starts to burn under the pressure he's holding it. "K-kanda, it hurts," I say, cringing.

He doesn't hear me, so I glare and grab his arm and twist that backwards. He lets go almost instantly and spins around angrily at me.

I meet his glare with my own, hoping it's every bit as angry as I feel. "That. Hurt!" I state, enunciating each word clearly and loudly. I'm only a centimeter away from his face, but he finally relents first.

Instead of an apology, all I hear is, "Che." Twitching, I mimic him in my mind, "Che, I'm Kanda Yu and I'm sooo cool. All I say is 'che' when I'm angry and I don't apologize even if I hurt someone."

He's already at the elevator and glaring at me. "Hurry up," he commands.

My face turns pink with anger since I know I can't refuse; I need to know my way around. I walk quickly over there and cross my arms, turning away with a, "hmpf!"

.:Kanda's POV:.

I don't apologize for grabbing her wrist; if she's an exorcist she should be stronger. Either way, she was giving that stupid rabbit the O.K. to flirt with her. And she was completely ignoring me, plus she invited more people over and… "Wait," I think, "I shouldn't care, anyway." As I contemplate why I care, the elevator stops and she walks off.

She turns around, hand on her hip. "Are you _coming_?"

My vein throbs on my head irritably as I know I can't ignore what she's saying. I walk off the elevator and keep in front of her. "Here's the training area," I say plainly as possible. I try not to let my anger show, so she can get the picture that what she does doesn't affect me.

.:My POV:.

I can feel Kanda's irritation pressing up against his words and aura. Though, it seems like he's desperately trying to hide it.

I know _I'm _pretty mad at him, but I don't care if it shows or not, I'm kind of preoccupied trying to keep up with Kanda's pace.

We go through almost everything within half an hour, and he drops me off at the individual rooms.

He doesn't hesitate to just leave me and go about his regular business.

"That's it?" I say, aggravated, "Am I seriously so annoying that you just don't care about even talking to me?"

He turns around and is in my face before I know it, seething with rage. "You know what, you ARE annoying! You just prance about and do whatever you want, and you're barely an exorcist! You let that stupid rabbit flirt with you, without even knowing who he was, and you ruined my lunch by bringing so many people over!"

I lean up, pressing my nose against his. "Well, Mr. Sunshine, YOU seem to like dragging people around! This morning I was just going to ask you for my clothes but you just had to be impatient and pull me out of the bathroom! I thought that despite the cold person I saw and heard about, you were pretty nice! I guess I was wrong because you're pretty selfish, getting angry at me for ruining your _precious _lunch!"

He draws himself up to his full height and shoots me a dirty look. "Fine, you can think that way if you want! Don't bother talking to me otherwise, idiot!" He storms off in the direction of the elevator, and with pent up frustration, I just shout, "Fine!" back at him.

I slam the door when I get into my room and I throw myself onto the bed. I press the pillow to my face, disregarding any filth it may have on it, and I scream, "YOU STUPID, STUPID BOY! YOU'RE A STUPID INSENSITIVE FREAKING JERK, DAMMIT!

The door opens and I see Lenalee lean in. "Having trouble with Kanda I see," she chuckles.

I clutch the pillow tightly as I upright myself. "He's every bit as cold as I thought he was."

She smiles empathetically at me. "He's not what you think. Kanda's been much different since you arrived."

I purse my lips in disbelief. "Oh, really? How so?"

She laughs at my silly face, but continues on, "Even if he's still the irritable guy, he's been pretty civil. He agreed to take you around without that big of a fight, and he was nice enough to do your hair for you."

I lower my face into the pillow. "But still, he's such a jerk," I complain.

Lenalee stands up and puts both hands on her hips, "Well, anyway, you're going on your first mission! Our finders have found innocence somewhere, and it's not too far away, so I think you'll be fine."

"Alright then!" I say cheerfully, "I've had enough of this emotional drama. I'm ready to kick some akuma butt!"

"You're really funny, Rika."

I stick out my tongue, "I know!"

She escorts me to Komui's office, a route that I plan to remember.

Right before I enter, she hands me a folder.

I walk into the room and I see Komui resting on his hands. "Hello, Komui-san," I greet politely.

He returns my kindness and sits up straighter. "Hello, Rika. You're going to be sent on a mission, as you heard from Lenalee."

I nod. "Yes, where is it?"

"Well, before that, please have a seat. Also, you'll be partnered up with Kanda."

My eyes widen slowly and I turn my head fearfully to meet Kanda's own shocked gaze. And I say the only thing anyone should say at this moment.

"What?"


	4. Chapter 4

"What?" I cry, "I refuse to be partnered up with this jerk!"

He crosses his arms and scowls, "You're not _my _cup of tea, either."

I stop my foot and bare my teeth at him. "Shut up, you!"

Komui sighs and puts down his rabbit coffee mug. "Kanda, you sure have a habit of not getting along with newcomers…"

I plop myself down as far away as possible from Kanda on the couch. Turning my whole torso away from him, I just barely turn my eyes to look at Komui. "So what's the mission?"

.:Kanda's POV:.

I honestly can't believe this girl. "She's such a brat. She's even acting like one!" I think. Like any little kid would do, she's making it so blatantly obvious she doesn't like me, as if holding someone's dirty sock pinched between her fingers. I tune out Komui's explanation as I think about how bratty this girl is.

She stands up, and I just realize I hadn't listened to anything. She bows and gives Komui a bright smile. "Alright! Thank you, Komui." Turning to me, she lowers her eyelids and puts a hand impatiently on her hip. "Coming, Kanda?"

I scoff, crossing my arms, yet she doesn't hesitate to leave the room without me.

An awkward silence passes and Komui pipes up, "You know you have to go with he-"

"I know!" I snap. I leave the room, slamming the door shut. That hardly relieves me of my anger. I take long strides to quickly catch up to Rika without running or looking like I'm chasing after her. However, with every step I take to getting next to her, she seems to take three more trying to avoid me.

Pretty soon, we're speed-walking down the hallway, looking stupider than if we were actually racing.

She stops abruptly, almost making me lose my balance and crash into her. Crossing her arms, she looks at me from the corner of her eye. "Kanda, did you want something?"

"Do I want somethi-? What the hell does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to keep up with you!" I think, growing more agitated with each passing second. I exhale deeply through my nose and attempt to cool down. I raise my eyebrow and try to keep a plain, almost uninterested expression. "Ha? Do you want my help now or something? Don't tell me you think you're lost." I try and suppress a grin when I see her reaction.

Her body goes rigid and her face grows dark. Not in anger, but in hiding embarrassment. She scoffs and faces forward, obviously uncomfortable that I hit a bull's-eye. Only when she rips out her ponytail do I get mad.

.:My POV:.

"I'm not lost! At least… I don't think I'm lost," I think uncomfortably. Gritting my teeth I try to hide my face from him. "Stupid Kanda! He was so clearly trying to keep to my pace!" A light bulb goes off in my head. I smirk evilly as I reach up to my ponytail and rip out the hair-tie. Humming pleasantly to myself, I notice his anger seething once again. I shrug as I look back at him. "I like my hair down better," is my excuse. I remember the way, finally, and guide us to the exit.

.:Kanda and I:.

Sighing to myself, I start the long journey to the bottom of the cliff. "This is gonna be a long mission."

.:My POV:.

Running across a bridge, I read the map that Lenalee gave me before I left. "So, we could take a train to this place… It was an abandoned train station where the innocence was spotted, right?"

"There's a train right there, let's go."

I look down under the bridge, and sure enough a train is running through there. I follow Kanda down and ask him, "Are exorcists special? We can just jump down on a train?"

He glances at me. "Che."

"Again, that stupid 'che!'" I think bitterly. I screw up on my landing, so when I hit the train, I trip and land on top of Kanda's stomach.

"Guwah!" He gasps as the force of my body lands on him.

The wind is knocked out of me a bit too, but I regain my breath much more quickly. I move my knees off of his stomach, pushing myself up with my arms.

"Ach, how much do you freaking weight?" He grunts.

Blushing, I turn around to explain to him face to face. "I don't weigh that much!" I whine. All at once, I realize something, "Wait, why do I need to turn to see him?"

.:Kanda's POV:.

"Dammit, that's it!" I think, holding my head. I push up on my right arm to sit myself up when Rika suddenly shouts.

"Don't get up!"

Feeling a vein throb on my forehead, I open my eyes to glare at her. I bump into something, and she squeaks.

"Kya!"

I lean back, my face red hot with embarrassment. I lean down on my elbow, turning away to avoid looking under her skirt… again.

She nearly leaps off of me, pressing her hands on her face. "Th-that's why I told you to not get up…"

"Y-yeah, sorry," is all I can say.

There's an awkward silence, then a man opens the train door. "Hey, who's up here?" He sees and realizes we're exorcists first, but then he sees our bright red blushing faces. Thinking he understands what's happening, he slowly closes the door, "Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you, exorcist-san…"

"It's not what you think!" we shout simultaneously.

After preparing a cart for us, he smiles and bows apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. If you need anything, please just ask." He leaves the cart and slides the door closed.

I try to act cool, but that's near impossible when she's sitting right in front of me, flustered beyond compare.

She leans on her legs, holding her hot cheeks. "Why the hell does this keep happening?" She mumbles, humiliated.

"I said I was sorry," I snap, just equally as discomforted.

She looks up from her hands, tiny tears peaking out of her eyes. "You just don't get how embarrassing it is!" She moans, "I know that it's not the best thing for you either, but I'm a girl! Can't you get that it's even more humiliating to me? I mean… I'm being so clumsy… in this kind of way… in front of a _guy_."

An awkward silence follows, and I actually contemplate what she said. When the silence gets too quiet for me to bear, I sigh and face her again. "Stop worrying about it. I get what you mean, but it's not anything terrible. I don't think poorly of you for those things!"

She doesn't reply and I shake her shoulder. "Hey! What are you…"

I think her eyes are closed, and when I let go of her shoulder, she slides down the seat and lies against the side of the cart. I gently push the hair out of her eyes and see that she's, honest to God, sleeping.

Her eyes are pink from crying, and all the anger I had for her seems to be nothing.

"Geez," I flick her cheek lightly, making her squirm in her sleep, "You really are a little brat."


	5. Chapter 5

.:My POV:.

"Hey, get up! Did you hear the conductor? The train won't go any further than here," Kanda shouts, shaking my shoulder.

My eyes feel sticky and wet. I rub them gently, trying to take the salt out as painlessly as possible. "It's probably because I was crying," I think. I lock my fingers together and stretch out my arms. Yawning I ask, "How long was I asleep for?"

Leaving the cart, he mumbles, "An hour."

I jump up and cry, "An hour?" I accidentally stub my foot on the seat in front of me and cringe from the pain. "Ow… Wait, Kanda!" I stumble as I straighten out my uniform and tumble out of the train after Kanda.

He raises an eyebrow as I trip in the hallway near the exit. "What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"Sorry!" I gasp, standing up. Dusting myself I repeat again, "Sorry."

Sighing he places a hand on his side. "You don't need to apologize so much!" he snaps.

I almost say, "Sorry," again before catching myself. I struggle for a word to replace it, since it seems weird not to say something. "I was just apologizing because I left you to be bored for an hour…" I laugh nervously, scratching my head.

He turns so his back is facing me. His voice is muffled, but I hear him loud and clear, "It wasn't boring, you were still there…"

Blushing, I'm caught in my tracks. "It wasn't boring… because I was there?" I whisper.

"…talking in your sleep."

"E-eh!" I shout.

Ignoring me, he continues to walk. "Hurry up; we have to travel to the next train station on foot."

"Kanda! Wait," I call. I jog up to him, not letting go of what he just said, "Kanda!"

The town itself is small, but there's a lot of activity going on in it.

I flip through the black folder containing our mission one more time. "So, the next town over had an amazing train station… and now it's haunted by a ghost that takes in men only… so we have to travel there since the train won't take us any further," I mumble, summarizing the whole thing. "Okay! We need to get some food then, right?" I continue, looking up at Kanda to confirm.

"You read it," is all he replies.

I feel a vein throb on my forehead as I think, "You… you're no help!" I cross my arms and turn my head away from him, finding interest in the bustling shopping district.

"Jewels, jewels! I have beautiful jewelry for sale!" A young merchant shouts, advertising, "Ah, you miss! Would you like a necklace?" He continues, reaching over his stand.

I blink and look around. After a moment, I look back at the man and point to myself. "Are you talking to me?" I ask, taking a few steps closer.

He looks at me and smiles, his eyes sparkling. "Yes, you, beautiful girl! Would you like a jewel?" The man clothed in white stands up from his seat and places a hand under my chin, "Though, I'd hardly say there's a prettier gem than you."

"Wha-what?" I stutter, my stomach getting fluttery. I want to push his hand away, but I don't want to be rude, but still I'm not too happy about his hand being on my face. During my little internal battle, I catch a glimpse at the jewels he's selling. "Uwah!" I gasp, bringing my face down quickly. My eyes flitter around, taking in each jewel's glimmering presence. "They're so pretty! Pink, blue, green, purple, red! They're all so pretty!" I don't notice, but the merchant chuckles.

"Is that so? If you like them so much, I'll give you one… that is if I can have you."

I'm nearly swept into his pace as he suddenly grabs my face again.

Suddenly, there's a hand over my mouth and I'm pulled back by my waist into Kanda's chest.

"She's not buying anything. Especially from a shady vendor like you," he says, painfully bluntly at that. He removes his hand from my mouth and starts to drag me away, making a small scene.

"K-kanda!" I gasp, "That was a little-"

"You idiot!" He scolds, interrupting me, "You can't go and get unneeded things when you're on a mission!"

Flinching at his strong grip, I can't help but feel guilty inside. "I didn't mean to… get swept away like that," I mumble.

Kanda might not have heard me, since he's still dragging me down the road at a fast pace. His face isn't visible to me, he's just charging on ahead while I struggle to keep up.

I sigh as I think, "I made him mad, didn't I? Why did he put a hand on my mouth though…?" I just barely catch a glimpse of his eyes. There's a "pang" in my heart when I see just how angry even the small corner-view of his eyes looks. I almost feel like crying, but I swallow my tears; making Kanda feel bad wouldn't do anything.

.:Kanda's POV:.

"Geez, does this brat even understand what 'mission' means? Just like that bean-sprout, she can't let her feelings slide, can she?" I think bitterly. Remembering that this is the second time I'm grabbing her wrist, I gauge the strength that I'm using and let go. I stop abruptly and she bumps into my back. "Should I apologize?" I think, "I've apologized enough to this girl though! Still, she could be mad." Suddenly, her voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Kanda," she says in a tone I least expected, "I should buy some food since it's going to take a while to get to the 'haunted train station,' right?"

A little distractedly I nod and reply, "Yeah."

She gives me an almost blinding smile and nods back to me. "Alright! Let's meet up at… at that clock tower at five, okay?" Not waiting for my answer, she skips off into the shopping district.

I knock my hand against my head as I watch her leave. "That girl… is just the weirdest…" I put on a grumpy face in place of the stupid happy one I feel I'd be wearing. I shove my hands in my pockets and go to watch around for any akuma clues.

"Yu?" a woman's voice says from behind me.

"That voice…"

.:My POV:.

I smile pleasantly to myself as I purchase a few apples and loaves of bread. "He didn't look mad!" I think happily. I put the food into an inexpensive burlap bag that I bought just before. "Thank you," I tell the kind old woman running the stand.

At the fresh yet faint scent of apples, my stomach starts to growl a bit. I press the bag against my torso, trying to ignore the hungry beast. "I shouldn't," I tell myself, "but would one really hurt?" Rummaging through the bag, I pull out a small apple and bring it towards my mouth.

Suddenly, a woman's scream rings through the air.

The apple slides out of my hand as I whip around to see a level one akuma rising into the air. Dropping the bag, I flick open my jacket and expertly tie it around my waist. "Innocence, activate!" I cry, leaping into the air. A blast of air blows off my shoulders and lifts me into the sky as my crimson red wings unfold. I flap once and I'm already face-to-face with the akuma.

It feels like it's staring straight through me with that blank open-mouthed face. It points several guns at me and prepares to fire.

"No chance!" I shout, slamming my fists into the akuma. I leap backwards, squinting as the blood flies towards my face. I hear the click of several more guns and whip around. "I…Impossible…" I gasp. My arms drop to my sides as I'm overwhelmed by the number of akuma.

There has to be at least thirty of them just positioned around this area. They move in towards me with their guns poised and begin shooting at me.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I shield my body with my wings. I grit my teeth as the bullets pelt my wings; each hit is heavy as a two-ton safe. The shooting doesn't cease, and I'm starting to feel a little sick from all the bullets seeping into my blood. Suddenly, as I reach my limit, my mind goes blank.

.:Kanda's POV:.

"I knew it was too easy," I growl, shifting into my ready position. I narrow my eyes, enraged at this akuma for posing as _her. _I suppress the urge to charge in recklessly, watching carefully for an opening.

"You're too smart, boy. You could have died happy," the akuma said with a giggle. She bounded forward, her arm raised and eyes flashing.

I hold my ground and swing my sword upwards once she's in range.

She leaps backwards, just barely avoiding a fatal hit. Her appearance resembles that of a cat's and with a hiss, she raises her arm, ready to slash once more. "You can't defeat me! You're taking on a level three all by yourself, boy!"

I catch her claws on my sword and push her back. "First Illusion: Netherworld Insects!"

She yowls in pain and tries to drive insects away by swinging her claws at them. They disappear and she cries out in rage. "Don't get cocky, boy! It'll take more than that to kill me!" she shrieks. With a monstrous burst of speed, she gets me in the stomach.

I falter on my feet, coughing up blood. Despite the pain, I draw back my sword and jab it into her side.

Quickly, she withdraws her arm and avoids my blade yet again. With a hungry grin on her face she laughs, "What happened to that brimming confidence, boy?" She slowly walks towards me, licking her lips, "I guess you'll be dying now."

I prepare to kill her once she's gotten close enough. I focus on her intently, thinking, "She's closing in… three… two… one!" However, I never get to kill her.

A sharp cry rings throughout the air. It almost has a musical quality to it.

Something wet hits my hand. I look down to see a glowing white drop soak into my skin. My wounds don't hurt anymore, and they're closing up even more rapidly than usual. I look up and see the same drops falling like rain, and that's not the strangest part.

The akuma turns to stone, right before my eyes, and withers away into dust. No screaming, no pain, just… gone.

The melodious cry stops and I jolt upright. "That couldn't be," I mutter, furrowing my eyebrows in thought, "Rika?"


	6. Chapter 6

.:Kanda's POV:.

Every akuma had turned to ash, just like the one in front of me had. The townspeople are looking fearfully, but worriedly into the sky, staring gratefully at something… the thing that had destroyed all the akuma.

A woman cries out, "She's falling!"

My gaze follows theirs and meets a white-winged girl. The feathers draw themselves into her back as she plummets to the ground.

I jump onto an awning and spring into the air, catching Rika just in time. Goosebumps crawl up my arms as I feel her skin; it's ice cold.

Her skin is deathly white and her lips are gray as ash. Color is slowly returning to her body, but just barely. Her right hand is clenched tight around something, and it doesn't look like she'd ever let go.

I feel my heart squeeze as I land back on the road. The light drains from my eyes as I come to one conclusion. "She's dead," I think.

An old, balding man appears from the crowd and walks up to Rika. Stroking his chin, he feels her wrist.

"She's dead," I mumble, "There's no use."

He shakes his head and looks up at me with his bushy white eyebrows covering most of his eyes. "The girl's pulse is still there. She is alive, but just barely."

I try to keep myself from looking stupidly hopeful, so I push down my eyebrows more. "Che. You can do what you want."

.:My POV:.

My eyes flutter open, but my vision is blurry. The first thing I see when my eyes come into focus is Kanda. I try to say something, but a dry squeak replaces my words.

He perks up and I see him glance at me quickly. He mutters something under his breath then looks at me with a ticked-off expression. "What happened?" he asked.

I make a motion to sit up, but I immediately regret it. An intense wave of needle-like pain seizes my arms and legs, making me screech in agony. I start to tremble uncontrollably as my muscles cramp up. I drop myself back onto the bed and breathe slowly in an attempt to wait out the pain.

Blood pounds loudly in my ears, but I can still hear the click of Kanda's heels.

He picks up a glass that was on the side-table and sits on the bed next to me. He sweeps me up and puts a cup to my lips.

As he pours the herby-smelling liquid down my throat, the pain starts going away. My muscles stop contracting and my body feels refreshed.

I give a deep, shuttering sigh and hug my arms to my chest. Biting my lips, I think, "I felt like I was going to die…"

Kanda sighs, as well. He releases his grip on my shoulders and leans back on the bed. "Does it still hurt?" he asks, avoiding my eyes.

I shake my head slowly and clear my throat. "No," I reply.

"Good." He slides my legs off of his and stands up from the bed.

I just realize that he's not in his regular uniform, and his hair isn't tied up either. He's wearing a light blue cardigan sweater over a navy t-shirt, too.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see Kanda wearing casual clothes…" I think, drumming my fingers across my lips. Suddenly, I snap back to the subject at hand. "H-hey, how long was I out?"

"Three days," a voice answers.

Both our heads turn to see Lavi leaning on the doorframe.

"Lavi!" I gasp.

Grinning, he pushes himself off the door and walks over.

"How long were you standing there, Rabbit?" Kanda snaps.

Crossing his arms, Lavi smirks. "Oh, since you had her sitting on your lap. Very smooth, Yu-chan!"

I feel my cheeks get hot when I press my hands against my face embarrassedly. My eyes flit between Kanda and the far wall; I feel too awkward to look at him directly, but I want to see his expression.

"Che," he scoffs. With that, he brushes past Lavi out the door.

I feel a little crestfallen, and apparently, it showed pretty clearly.

"Don't worry," reassures Lavi, "He usually acts grumpier when he's happy." He takes a seat on the bed and breathes through his nose. After a long pause, he says, "You know, Rika, on the mission… you…"

"I what…?"

"You nearly died," Lavi finishes with a grim expression.

I jerk my head towards him and stare at him in utter disbelief. "I almost died?" I question, the concept foreign to me.

He nods. "You used this amazing technique… you absorbed the dark matter from all the akuma bullets into your wings, and then the innocence you have purified them. Then, literally, your blood shot up and rained down. It destroyed all the akuma within a hundred kilometer radius. Also, your innocence attracted the one you were searching for."

Understanding, I fill in the blanks. "So, I nearly died of blood loss…" With a goofy smile, I laugh, "I have more power than I can handle, huh?"

Lavi looks at me curiously. Shaking his head, he laughs. "You're really an interesting girl."

I return his good-natured feelings with a smile and sigh. "Kanda seems really mad at me. I don't know why he has to be such a jerk."

Lavi touches his smile with a hand and snorts, "At least he's paying attention to you. He's usually really apathetic towards new exorcists. He and this person Allen frequently get into fights."

"I have no idea _what _you're talking about!" I declare, lifting my head with an ignorant air. "I think he absolutely hates me sometimes."

He stands up from the chair and places his arm akimbo. "Sure. I bet it's a different kind of hate than you're thinking of though, Rika." With that, he strides out of the room.

I press my lips together, refusing to analyze what Lavi just said. "I don't care; I know he doesn't like me at all," I think. I sigh and lie back down on the bed, already exhausted from all that emotional stress. I cover my eyes with my arm without a thought and slowly drift off into sleep…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hello everyone! I haven't ever done an authors note on my stories before... like a real after-the-chapter note. I'm sorry to say that this one isn't very good news. It's not particularly bad either. <strong>

**I've analyzed Rika and determined her to be a "Mary-Sue." A Mary-Sue is a character who is basically perfect. Also, her power is very generic. I'm going to guess at least 100 other fangirls for D. Gray-Man have decided to have wings be their innocence. **

**Therefore, I've completely changed my D. Gray-Man OC to a girl named Lian Aburakoji. I've already started writing her story (technically the real story I want now) and I'm going to publish that.**

**DON'T WORRY, HOWEVER! I am going to finish up this story, but I will do it quickly so it will most likely be terrible T^T Fans of this story, please look forward to the new story I am writing! It will be better from beginning to middle to end! **

**Lian: Haha, Rika! I'm cooler than you!**

**Rika: I feel so betrayed T^T**

**Lian: Oh just shut up.**

**Rika: *poofs***

**Sekai no Yumemi: =w= that's all folks!**


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